The Shadow
by I'm-sorry-for-being-me
Summary: Take a seat, and listen to a story of two demigod lovers and a chaotic adventure. Embrace and explore tales about these two beloved characters: Leo Valdez and Nico di Angelo. (Teen related imagery towards later chapters [Unpublished]. Leico Valdangelo. Events after House of Hades. Does not follow Blood of Olympus. Slight modifications to story line.)
1. Introduction

**_Leo's Point Of View_**

This is insane. Now trust me, I've said things were insane before, but this is seriously insane! I mean, how can you blame me for the Argo II being demolished? I'm not the one who lit the whole place in flames!

Okay, so I have lit a ton of things on fire, _accidentally_. But this was not one of those times. See it started when Piper and Jason third-wheeled me yet again. They nuzzled noses together and everything, _yuck_.

We had—and by we, I mean everyone else—decided to celebrate with a fancy dinner, not just because of Percy and Annabeth's escape from Tartarus, but because it was actually Seaweed Brain's birthday today. _Annabeth's right to have given him that nickname_.

Certain that they'd been together on their own long enough Piper and Jason tagged along, so I did too. Now, here we were on a double date, plus one. Coach Hedge stayed behind, as he was panicking now more than ever. _A baby on the way, and I'd panic too._

To my misfortune, Percy and Annabeth were competing with Piper and Jason using their flirt languages, and this took just about the entire waiting time of the meal. _Twenty-Five Minutes._

By now you're probably wondering, we were behind on time before, why were we wasting nearly half an hour just to get some fancy cooked up cow when there's hamburgers that can be whipped up in only about five minutes to make for a fraction of the cost? _I wondered that now too._

The food was delicious at least. Though, when I finished I had to sit through the couples trying to feed each would only get worse when we got back.

"I love you more." Piper said, flashing one of those charming grins she wore. Jason smirked and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her on both cheeks. _I'm still gagging._ I just turned away, trying to pay attention to the movie rather than those two, but that was when I smelt the tangy scent of smoke.

Let me tell you something about Annabeth, she _cannot _cook, _whatsoever_. Anyways I went to go check it out, because it seemed better than dealing with Missy Make-outs and Mister Kisser taking up most of the couch space.

To my luck, just as I walked in the whole kitchen lit up in a blaze. Quickly spreading through the ships walls it looked impressive. However, what seemed impressive to me was not impressive to Coach Hedge.

"What did you do this time, Valdez!?" He shouted, stomping a hoof against the floorboards. His eyes widened at the flames, which were once more, _not my fault_.

"Holy Hades.." He muttered to himself, along with some other swears I didn't have time to catch. "I know what you're thinking—" I started to say, but he didn't let me finish, he could sense something was going to happen and yanked me by the arm.

"Duck and cover!" He shouted towards the living room as we both tumbled to the kitchen floor, and with that, the Argo II was no more but a pile of scrap.

"Leo! What were you thinking?" Piper shouted, Jason frowned, "Too far this time, man." _Hang on, retelling this I know now I built that ship, didn't I? How could they be so mad that I wrecked my own creation? Well whatever._

I picked myself up off the ground, I was upset, and the whole ship was ruined. _My whole ship. Percy and Annabeth came just at the right time, "The cake…" I saw her mouth make out, but those words never came up again, _she decided to blame me just like everyone else. I really hope she thought there'd be no harm in that.

I think that was when I cracked. I was sick of always being blamed for the stuff that happened. I clenched a fist, standing up straight and looking at them all directly. _At different moments, of course, I don't have seven eyes, although that does sound like it'd be cool. _

"That's it!" I said puffing out my chest with confidence, they were obviously intimidated and that's why they gave no response. "I'm tired of you always blaming me, ever occurred to you that everyone makes mistakes? Maybe if you looked at your own fault instead of putting them on someone else—"

With that Percy uncomfortably shifted, "Nico and Reyna haven't been able to answer any of our iris messages. I'm starting to get worried and that…that's my fault."_ Sympathy, that's exactly what Jackson got when I was here trying my best to—_

Well, even though I tried I did it anyways. My whole hand enveloped in an inferno of dancing flames. I crossed my arms and stayed silent the rest of the time, and though I never really grow angry…When I do, I just stay silent till I cool down.

This time, however, I did not cool down. I stayed in my sealed dorm walking around in circles around the ground. I quickly began to pack a bag stuffing things in it quickly. Maybe Nico was dark and solitary but he'd make a better companion then these people would. _They. He and Reyna would. _

I walked down the hall quickly, pulling a small scrap of paper from my tool bag, and then a pen. After scribbling a few words down I made my way up to Festus. "This is goodbye for a while, buddy… I'll see you soon."

I set the paper down and took a deep breath looking back at the place, maybe I would miss it, but it was for the best.

**_So here I am. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, walking around an empty void of land, stretching out to nowhere. I will find them, maybe I can't shadow travel like he can, but I certainly can build something better. Then they'll see. I'll return the statue with them, and I'll do just fine without those other six._**

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_A/N: So this is a little story I'm going to be working on, I really hope it doesn't ruin your view of Leo/Nico fanfiction. I'm sure you can find something much better if you tried. Either way, constructive criticism is something I love, so before you go, why not leave a review?_


	2. Beginning

**Leo's Point Of View**

Forty days. That's how long I was wandering the desert with no food. _Well it felt that way anyways. _It was more like four hours, and there wasn't really much of a desert. That didn't matter though. I had still been walking for hours straight without any snacks. And let me tell you, I'm completely sick of subways.

Walking from city to city would've taken way too much time, so I figured the underground train would be a good enough transport. But let me tell you now, subway rides are no fun. Even worse than a train, the shaky rails and shady surroundings are great for paranoia.

I gave up after an hour, they were taking me to random locations and I was almost certain because of it I was developing anxiety. So I walked through each city, as a mortal to the human eye, and as a poor guy as well.

When I was younger my family used to take me to get Crepes, which were these fancy desert type pancake things, and they were enchanting. Lucky me, I just had to stumble upon a restaurant that focused on that as their main entre. I probably should have taken money before I left because with those prices I couldn't even afford a drink.

Then again, these days what can a ripped dollar bill buy you? It's just there being worth four quarters, ten dimes, twenty nickels, one-hundred pennies, and it's rendered useless. I mean you could try to buy a chocolate bar but the looks you get from the cashier for trying to pay with two halves of a worthless piece of paper, well…

I was pretty much on my own, I had to find a way to get food soon, but I knew I could easily push that aside. I wasn't really all that hungry anyways. Let me tell you one thing though, getting to Greece from here is not easy at all.

Annabeth—_If that's even her name, pfft—_Once said that Nico and Reyna were going to take a certain route, and the fact that I can't remember it is really starting to get to me. _Do I have to zone out on everything the blonde says?_

I let out a small sigh at the moment, I had to admit, I was feeling pretty defeated and lost. I took something out of my pocket, it was time to give it a shot, whether or not it'd actually work.

_"__Nico and Reyna haven't been able to answer any of our iris messages" _I heard in my head once more, but I didn't want to, Percy's voice, anyone's voice, it all seemed annoying. Well everyone except one person's, I tossed the coin in to a small bucket, taking cover in an alley.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." I asked as I gave prayer leaning over the water in hope, the last of mine actually. A pair of eyes suddenly stared back at me, blonde hair falling down her face, a smile pulling onto her lips despite an otherwise sad expression. She was always the picture you could never remember after you looked away.

"Echo…" I heard myself let out softly, her ears perked up as she watched me curiously, "Hey, I'm not sure if you still remember who I am—" The figure smiled a softer smile. "Remember who I am?" She quickly nodded.

"That's great, listen Echo, I really need help." Her eyes suddenly lowered towards the ground, she looked up with fear, "Need help." I felt awful, _what could she have gotten herself into?_

_"_Echo…? What do you need help with?" I asked in concern. "With…" She started, slowly taking a step back, the scene came into view.

The entire area was chaotic, being attacked by monsters, the nymphs who once fangirled in my presence were full fledged warrior. I didn't understand how this had happened, but that didn't mean I wouldn't help.

"Echo, I'll get to you. I swear somehow, I'll help you, I will." I took a shaky breath meeting her eyes, "Just don't get hurt."

She nodded slowly, "Don't get hurt." And with that the image faded away, the water drizzling back down into the bucket.

* * *

The trip was long, and it was tough too, but maybe I should go back just a bit. I decided that if I wanted to get there I'd need to build a new ship for myself. I could easily make it a smaller size, making it at ease to fly.

But if I did want to build a new aircraft, what I needed was money, and that's when I saw it, _Help Wanted_. Maybe I had no résumé ready, nor did I have any professional experience. However, I was pretty confident that if they needed a mechanic I was the guy.

I quickly entered the car shop, walking over to the counter, "Can I help you?" A voice asked, a familiar one too, but I couldn't tell if maybe I was just hearing things.

As she turned around, her dark brown hair fell back, held up by her red bandana. "Leo?" "Nyssa.." I had two immediate thoughts at the moment. _Why wasn't she at camp? Since when did she have a job?_

"What's wrong?" She cocked her head slightly, as if she was confused but also becoming impatient. "Did the Argo II break down?" I shook my head, "I didn't even know you had a job here, Nyssa."

"Oh." She forced a smile to her face, customer service I suppose. "What can I do for you then, Leo?" He took a deep breath, "I need the spot you have open."

She thought for a moment, "Yeah, okay, it shouldn't be a big deal." Suddenly she frowned, "Oh yeah! Someone's supposed to be on a quest with the other six demigods!"

"Listen Nyssa, they're on their own at the moment, and I need to get some cash, I really need this job." I explained to her, hopefully. She sighed, "Fine, just go work on one of those cars over there."

"That's it?" I asked, surprised. "I don't have to turn in any applications or give you information?" She smirked, "I already know you Leo, and you'll be out of here before the boss even knows you were employed.

I laughed at that, walking over to a Toyota with its hood opened. I picked up the toolbox that was on the side of it and grabbed a few tools. And with that I began working.

"Here." Nyssa slowly flipped through a stack of cash, handing it to me, "One hundred and twenty-six dollars." I looked back at a pile of scraps, "Thanks, but Nyssa, do you really need any of these things?"

She shook her head, "I was going to take them to the scrap yard after work, why? Did you want them?" I nodded as she picked up the box, "Alright."

"How much do you want for them?" I asked her, as she put up her hands, "Nothing. Just save the world with this, okay? Whatever you're doing, it better be important."

I couldn't tell if she was joking until she stifled a small snicker, "I guess I'll see you, Valdez, take care of yourself."

Picking up the box I nodded, "You too." And with that, I walked out the door, heading back towards the alley I had once gone to.

The air caused me to shiver, it was getting pretty cold outside, it was late though. I spent what, seven hours working? I hadn't slept since I'd left the night before, and now I was really getting tired.

I ripped off a poster from the wall, engulfing it in flames for slight warmth, I normally would have created it with my hands but I needed to focus on building. I could sleep after it was made.

I think I built half of the airship before I collapsed from exhaustion. When I woke up a stray dog was barking at me. I jumped up, backing up as it lunged for me, I ducked quickly hurling myself to the side.

The canine turned towards me, growling foully. It cocked its head to the side as I waved a few flames in the air, an easy distraction. After a while I was out of ideas and the dog was approaching me again.

They'd stopped growling however, I could see the animal was limping, I slowly lowered myself, kneeling, "Hey, it's alright. Whoever hurt you…I'm not them." The dog gave a sharp bark, making me flinch.

The dog then lowered itself onto its stomach, whimpering as it looked up at him. I sighed. The poor stray was probably starving. I reached out cautiously, slowly stroking is head, causing him to bark again.

"I have an idea…" I stood up, the plan could fail in every possible way, but I hoped it worked, "Stay." I muttered as the dog sat, he must have been trained. With that I ran off, hoping he could guard the invention while I was gone.

When I came back he was still there, I held up a paper bag and he ran up to me, I pulled out a hamburger and grinned at him, setting it on the ground as he quickly pounced on me. It was an affectionate pounce and it made me smile a bit more, I really liked this dog.  
Once he got off me he began to scarf down the food.

I took a bite of my meal as well, leaning against the back wall, I had to get back to work after this, I couldn't deal with any more delays, Echo was in trouble, I needed her help, and I needed to find Nico.

A fast wagging tail showed the dog was now happy, he stood up and walked around the creation before turning back towards me, cocking his head as if to say "_What is this?" _I set down the wrappers and trash and stood, walking over to him.

I pulled out a few of the scrap pieces, starting to hammer them down. Whenever I needed a part the dog seemed to bring it, I was starting to grow real fond of him.

I scratched the spot behind his ears and smiled, "We're almost done…" I was tempted to give the animal a name, maybe he'd had an owner before, maybe they were looking for him, but he was with me now, not them.

"Thanks for the help, Ash." I told the German Shepard. His tail waved happily at that as I straightened the last part, "Let's just hope this thing works, I said climbing up the ladder, the dog tried to follow and I didn't stop him.

I helped lift him up despite how heavy he was. He climbed on board and I pulled up the ladder opening a latch on the roof. I went inside as he followed after me.

**Once I shut it I walked over to the controls, I wasn't exactly sure how I'd guide this, but I was going to have to learn. And once I did, I'd start the journey I'd never forget about.**

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A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I know there isn't any interaction for the couple yet. Sorry about that. Read and review maybe?


	3. Delay

_**Leo's Point Of View**_

As I made it to the island it only seemed to be more chaotic. It was as if in the week I'd been preparing, they had lost hundreds of nymphs and gained thousands of these undefinable monsters.

Maybe the background had just been a nicer angle of view before, I had no idea. But I didn't have much time to register that, someone ran straight past me, wielding a long golden sword.

Her blonde hair flew behind her as she sprinted, suddenly stopping on her heels. She turned and smiled quickly. "Echo.." I managed, "Gods, I've missed you." Echo's eyes danced with joy, "I've missed you…"

As she turned back around I couldn't help but grin, sure the place was terrorized, but standing here was Echo, the girl I couldn't quite remember after a matter of minutes but loved seeing.

Her face was paler than before, and stained slightly with dirt, but it was still beautiful. Her blonde hair tangled in its small waves looked better than the former. And even though her body was scratched up and thin I didn't mind. It was Echo and she was as okay as it ever seemed to get.

She held her hand up as if to say wait and took off, holding a tight grip on her sword. I was just about to chase after when I remembered the sleeping dog back in the aircraft.

In a hurry, I climbed back in, "Ash..." I started, rubbing the dog softly, "Ash..!" The canine sat up and barked, its tail beginning to wag as he noticed me above him.

I grinned, "Hey, boy." I greeted, patting his head, and giving him a quick scratch behind the ears as he brought himself up. "Come on." I instructed. "There's someone you have to meet."

As we both made our way out, Echo jogged back with a happy grin on her face, the German shepherd barked at her before looking back at me, I nodded to show she was safe, I guess I kind of just figured he'd understand which somehow he did.

Echo crouched down and gave the dog a small stroke as he licked her cheek. I chuckled as Echo pulled me down right by her. We sat there talking for what felt like hours.

I told Echo about my current adventures and she presented to me what had been going on. It seemed awful; a lot of the nymphs had fallen in battle.

After our chat Echo led me over to a nymph reserve. After showing me around the shelter and finding me a room to stay in I thanked her and walked in. Sadly I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to use it for long.

During the night, Echo snuck out to try to fight an enemy camp as they were sleeping. Ash had noticed and proceeded to wake me up, if only I had on time.

It was about five minutes of groaning until I finally forced myself to sit up, the large amount of barking was giving me a migraine. Ash was tucking on the sheets in some sort of panic.

"What is it…?" I asked sleepily, Ash barked once more releasing the blanket from his jaws and running out the door, I hurriedly threw on a shirt, pulled on my jeans, laced up my Doc Martins, and ran after him.

Once I caught up with Ash he nudged towards the door, a few nymphs had gathered up themselves, standing behind us both. Reaching for the door, the nymphs gasped as I pushed it open.

At first I saw nothing, it was just the grassy area we'd been in before, but as my eyes scanned the area once more there she was, camouflaged like always. She didn't look good.

I ran as fast as I could to her side, her body was scratched up, worse than before. A pool of blood had risen up about half an inch off the ground. Echo let out a moan. A spear had been pierced into her side.

Rapidly I crouched by her, I was in shock. I knew I was, but I tried to look into her eyes anyways, barely able to meet the girl's gaze. "Echo…Don't do this to me. I…"

She weakly pushed her finger against my lip, telling me to be quiet. So I shut up. "I…" She started, "I…" She slowly traced her finger on the ground, running it on my shirt. At first I was puzzled, till I looked down at my shirt.

A map had been drawn onto it as her eyes fluttered shut. Echo let out another moan from pain. I had to stay strong, I couldn't let a death hurt me.

Despite, my desperate attempts to motivate myself the anxiety of it all took over. I picked up Echo's sword, something had to be done. As I pushed passed dozens of nymphs, I walked up to Narcissus, "You will avenge her."

The narcissist in front of me didn't bother, and I guess that's why I punched him in the face. I really had no idea why I bothered, he just grunted and ignored me, rubbing his cheek as though he was afraid a mark would be made.

That's when I realized, death wasn't really fair at all. It could happen at any time, but if you were responsible for one's death it wouldn't make much of a difference. The true enemy was fate.

**I had to defeat the Titans, if Echo died fighting for her people, I could try too. But I needed help, I needed Nico, I needed Reyna, and I needed everyone else…It all started to seem like a hopeless cause.**

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_A/N: This was mainly a filler. I'm really hoping to actually have some couple interaction by the next chapter. I hope you're enjoying so far! Next chapter should be up soon, reviews help! _


	4. Present

_No Point of View_

Echo was a beautiful nymph, but sometimes beautiful things were easy to let slip. Leo felt his perceptive of the young girl soon vanish from his thoughts. He felt uneasily sick as he paced around. A large dog bounded by him, barking at the clashing waves and shaking off sand.

Leo wasn't only ill because of the death he had witnessed. He also felt a longing to be back on the Argo II. The boy was homesick. He missed Hazel, his close friend who'd known his great grandfather. He missed Annabeth, even if she could get mouthy sometimes. He missed Percy, the boy who was fascinated with the color blue. He missed Frank, the dork who could change into animals. He even missed Gleeson Hedge, the P.E. coach gone satyr. But more importantly, he missed Jason and Piper.

Jason and Piper had always been closer to each other than they were with Leo. Leo had realized that eventually. Still the two of them were the best friends he could have asked for. They both cared about him, even if they cared about each other in a way he couldn't. Whether the memories had been unreal or not, Piper, Jason, and Leo had always had the greatest moments of excitement at the Wilderness School.

The thoughts only caused a higher longing for a trip back to his friends. They hadn't been so angry; they hadn't wanted him gone. _Why had he left?_ Leo put his hand over his face and shook his head. He had been wrong to do this. He had no one to tell him it'd be fine now, nor tell jokes to...

Leo let his eyes brim the slightest movement on the tide. A dark figure was making his way through the water. His mutters were something recognizable, they served as a reminder, and they stood as an improper use of cuss words.

This teenager kept his eyes down as he stopped in front of him. Even just feet near his presence, Leo was able to feel the gloomy, cold that surrounded this boy.

Leo gazed at him with interest; his brown eyes were wide. He had moved his hand away and his mouth still gaped a bit. The boy in front of him had shaggy, black hair, pale, olive skin, and dark, pained eyes that were defined by his bags.

A grin spread on Leo's face and his eyes lit up. He had always felt awkward around the _Ghost King, _but now, seeing Nico was a gift.

Nico's expression seemed mien as if his emotion had rinsed itself away. "Why are you here..?" His weak voice could be heard with the inquisition.

Leo sighed softly, putting his hands to his side. "That's some hello, man." He murmured. When Nico stayed quiet, Leo continued, "I'm here to help you. Where's that giant ol' statue anyway?"

Nico's expression ran long, and he turned his head away. The sea's wind was blowing hard on them both, scattering sand and small rocks. "The Parthenos isn't with me anymore..." He practically breathed out.

The wind made Nico's skeletal frame more apparent as the wind rushed through his clothing. His cheeks looked sunken, much like the time he had been captive. Leo felt the lightest bit of fear trickle back into him.

Running a hand through his curly brown hair, Leo cracked a slightly apprehensive smile and glanced towards his eyes again, unsure what to say. Eventually, he couldn't bear himself to keep his interests to himself.

Leo opened his mouth to ask the question he had first thought of, but Nico suddenly stumbled. He was weaker than he seemed to be holding up. The dog ran up to them both, sensing the trouble and barking loudly.

"Heh?" Leo made a small noise and looked up. "You okay, buddy..? …Nico?"


	5. Nightmare

Cold sweat dripped around the boy's face, sticking black strands of hair onto his skin. He gasped and panted for air, but each breath he took caused him drastic harm. His throat felt sore and dead, and for the longest time, Nico had no recollection of where he was at, who was with him, or why he was even there.

Moments passed in crude thought before his dark eyes finally opened, bringing him a new view—an arm brought over his chin. Nico hastily pushed it off and sat up, clutching the sheets blanketing him. A dark shade of maroon flushed over his pale olive skin and his mouth gaped, needing an explanation.

Nico heard murmuring as the mattress rose and sunk in again; the person next to him was stirring, yet still in deep sleep.

"Yeah... Bro... Later…"

Nico stared at the sheets in his grasp and led his eyes to where they were being heaved on. Leo was sleeping over the sheets, on his side, far too asleep to be awoken by Nico's faint tugs against his own. To this, brought relief to Nico and he chose to endure the consequence he felt when pulling.

After fully dragging it out from under Leo, Nico covered himself with the loose sheet and murmured words that instantly became inaudible. His pale face still had a slightly red tint and his body, despite being icy cold, was warmer than it usually was. This almost had nothing to do with Leo and however was only because of the thought that he had been in bed with another boy… _They hadn't done anything… That wasn't something to consider._

In fact, Nico was certain that Leo hardly thought of the situation at all before he had done it, but that was because that's how Leo always was. To Nico, Leo was spirited, mischievous, and a bit annoying. He was always up for anything, always playing pranks, and he never ever stopped to think how he would end up.

But for Nico, he knew the feeling of selfishness all too well, for he saw himself as selfish. He knew deep down that he was extremely selfish. This feeling occurred within him, as he realized Bianca's death was his the result of his faulty actions.

He had made Percy swear not to let his sister get hurt, and Percy did, but he shouldn't have trusted a stranger. Percy may of tried, but why did he choose to trust that he really could keep her from harm? If he had only begged Percy to let him come on the quest, maybe he would have been the one to die instead. Maybe Bianca would be just fine.

A crack window allowed a shallow draft to linger through the dead silence and air.

_How many times had he thought of that since it happened..?_

* * *

Nico sighed to himself as he walked through the dirty streets. The scent of murky puddles and mud loitered, airborne. He kept his hands in the pockets of his jeans, taking in a deep breath and holding it within his jaws.

His mandible seemed to tighten, clenched with discontent. He felt raw, as if he'd exposed himself by revealing something he hadn't intended to, and he could hardly… hardly walk. He could hardly… think.

Nico continued to move down the strip of pavement, tentative in steps. He'd been here for so long… so, so long… He expeditiously doddered.

_Why was he here?_

_How did he end up here?_

Nico had to blink.

_Where were the others? What was he thinking when he lost hold of the statue? When would he heal? Would recovering take longer this time?_

His thoughts had all clashed together. They wrecked anarchy in his dampened, corrupted mind. His eyes sealed for a second time, locked for a much longer lapse and interval. If he could relax, he could focus on carrying himself, and if he could do that, he would be able to discover what had lured him here.

_Was he sure something really wanted him here? _…Maybe he made a mistake. Maybe…_ "You're a mistake." _

Nico thought this, scowling in approach to a ghost. Being the son of Hell's ruler was not a sweet dream but an endless nightmare. Constantly, he was opened up to take in the mind of other… spirits as it would be put.

_Hell's ruler. _Nico had to take the time to scoff at that one. He had many terms for his dad, but he hadn't really considered this lone remark. The axiom somehow reminded him of his mother.

His mother was a beautiful woman. She always wore dark colors and dresses interlaced of innocuous velvety fabric. A veil and hat usually loomed over her eyes when they were outdoors, but when they were home, she'd take off the bonnet, and her eyes would become ostentatiously revealed.

Nico had her eyes, and he used to be proud of that, but lately, he wished that he had nothing to do with neither his mother nor these eyes. He always had loved her, but she had been foolish. If his circumstances in life had been different, she too would have survived.

Though the ghost didn't stop bothering Nico, it secluded certain thoughts and made a mess of his head, slighted him, and tried to control him, it only caused Nico to become more piqued.

His brows furrowed with a new resentment, and he clenched a fist, readying himself to tell off the thoughts of this ghost, had it been messing with him even more, but for some reason now, it stopped.

It stopped because it won. Someone was watching Nico as if he were insane. He had seen that expression multiple times. When he was little, he sprung up on the thought to speak about Mythomagic. The idea of mythology made him distinct from most of the other children. It even secluded him from the adults, being labeled as too imaginative and unrealistic.

Nico unfurled his fist and sighed. His dark, horrifying eyes were ominous as they settled into the person. They were tight and tired, and perhaps, if he hadn't been staggering about, he would have appeared scary, but to the man and everyone else who caught notice, Nico was exhausted.

After helping him and offering him rides and doing all that they could, Nico began to realize the annoyance of the citizens in the city themselves. He felt like he would never catch a break, and he knew he only had a few days, and he distinguished he needed to relax, and he wished he could lie down, and he longed to know why he was here, and he… he wanted…

Nico fell onto the sidewalk. His whole body trapped him in a stretch that decided to keep him there. Sprinkles of rain beat on his face like tiny shards of ice. They were another obstacle to him.

He forced himself up, despite what his body said and made it through the rain. It was a long journey, composed of him stumbling and stopping, but eventually, he found it; he found why he was here.

A beach was in view, and at the end of the beach was a figure. It was a male with tan skin, curly, brown hair, and a gaunt structure. As always, an aura of happiness, cheerfulness surrounded him. Even when he was angry, Nico could sense this around the boy. It was hard to take true joy out of Leo.

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**_A/N: Oh, jeez. I told you I'd try to do this monthly? School is ending soon, but with all these deadlines, everything's been so tough. Of course, this isn't as late as the other chapters, but I hope you can forgive me anyway. Promising a week and then suggesting a month at most... Gah. I'm trying, I'm trying._**


	6. Dread

_No Point of View_

The day started as a grumpy morning for Nico. It was gloomy without his usual black cup of coffee to singe his taste buds. The coffee would be bitter, and he wouldn't mind. He would sit there in the cold, letting the liquid warm his throat until he felt like he was ready to take on the day.

But, he never thought he would actually miss his morning coffee. Having it was something he did without question. He never sensed that he enjoyed it. No, it must not have been enjoyment. It was just content.

Nico let out a sigh. His warm breath made mist appear in the cold atmosphere. His long pale hands rubbed together. His eyes were forced down. Nico almost wished he'd accepted the offer from before when Leo had asked if he'd prefer to borrow his gloves. He had immediately denied the request, yet here they were in the cold, and Leo looked quite cheerful with his winter attire.

Nico wondered where he had acquired it. Maybe it had been a Christmas gift. Christmas hadn't been so long ago. Nico threw his thoughts into the gutter and watched Leo again. Leo was bouncing along the pavement, singing to himself, "Coffee, coffee, coffee…"

The paved streets of who-knows-where were dirty with various stains. Every now and then, Ash would stop to sniff them but would dart ahead of Leo shortly. Leo figured he was just being playful. Nico knew he was scaring the dog away.

This German shepherd was a scruffy dog with sharp beige teeth and a messed up ear that always hung low. It was very tough looking, so most people stayed away from it. The dog had a good heart, however, and it was a lucky dog. It had already found Leo twenty four dollars on the ground.

But Nico didn't want to make friends with this lucky dog nor its owner. Sure, he was lucky to find Leo than a stranger, but he preferred to be alone… unless with Bianca or Hazel or Reyna… well, maybe Reyna.

"Dude, you need to cheer up."

Nico felt himself scowl.

Leo frowned slowly. "Dude…"

Nico said nothing and so Leo went back to walking. From then on, they continued in silence.

The dog moved very carefully as it sniffed the pavement. Nico watched it and then looked towards a passing car. He imagined being hit by it.

Nico felt his body succumb again. He felt cold sweat creep down his back and into his palms. His knees shook and threatened to collapse from underneath him. He could barely hold himself. The dog barked.

A biker made his way past Nico. All of these things were happening at once. The dog was still barking. His body shook. He heard the car honk. It had hit something. He toppled over, but someone was holding him. A loud drone filled his ears.

"Relax… buddy… I got you…" Leo could hardly manage to support Nico a second time, but he was trying his best to. Nico wasn't _that _heavy. Maybe 125. Leo couldn't bench press more than forty however.

Nico felt the struggle build within his bones. Leo tried to use his back to give Nico better assistance. The dog barked as if calling passerbys for help.

Someone jumped out from a truck, but their uniform made it obvious they were the wrong kind of help.

The dog ran over to them and barked continuously. It knew this person was capable of helping them. "Arf! Arrrrf!"

The stranger's lips curled and it reached over to something hanging on its belt.

Leo was too distracted with Nico that he hadn't noticed the dog had wandered off. He attempted to try and breathe, nervously laughing away the tension he felt.

The dog barked louder before whimpering. Leo and the dog both became silent. A door slammed. Leo opened his eyes. "Ash…?"

Leo's brown eyes flicked back and forth. Nico was crushing him. They both ended up toppling onto the ground. Leo peeked out from underneath Nico's body. "Ash?" He asked again.

Something about the environment drove Leo nuts with familiarity. His eyes moved around again before he got a glimpse of plates. They were license plates with the jumble of, "JJ M9S0" and a pawprint sticker… paw print…

"No… no…" He heard the screeching tires as the car turned. Leo attempted to move. Nico looked beyond sick as he rolled off of him. "Shit… dude…"

Leo was freaking out. There was nothing he could do but hope they didn't have the dog, but… even if they did… if they could get Ash in time…

Nico groaned loudly.

No. Nico was first priority. Leo knew that. He needed Nico's help… but the dog…

"Oh…" Leo added to the moaning and lied his body back onto the ground, slumping his shoulders.


	7. Conversation

_No Point of View _

Several weeks had passed since Leo had seen Ash. Nico found it oddly satisfying that Leo was still able to continue beaming on at his life. He had found it even more amusing, however, when Leo had started jumping all over the place, hopping around and snapping his fingers over and over.

The moment Nico realized that Leo had finally succumbed to the stress, his dry lips cracked into a smile. Together, the pair had been getting along just fine. Nico didn't exacter prefer Leo to solitary, but he found it better than being with a whole group or someone like Percy.

But understand they didn't actually get along that well.

They merely didn't get along badly either.

"Hey?"

"What's up, dude?" Leo grinned at him and stretched his arms behind his head. They sunk into his brown curls.

"Would you mind telling me that story again…?"

Leo looked up to the blue sky and clouds. He smiled. "Yeah, sure… but you better listen this time."

Nico turned his head to him. "…? I was—"

Leo interrupted him easily, and Nico shut up. His grin grew. The winds blew. It got quiet.

Time stopped for a minute or two. Nico found himself waiting on end for Leo to speak a single other word. And when Leo didn't, he scowled. "What did you interrupt me for if—"

"Sh... bro... I'm about to tell it."

Nico lowered his head and slid his pale cold hands into the tight pockets of his jeans. Inferiority was easy coming into his brain.

It got quiet again. The breeze slid into the gap of space between them and into the cracks of trees. The two continued walking.

Leo finally said a word, multiples of them really. Nico looked up then.

"Here's the story... of Arabella Nell."


	8. Loan

_Nico's Point of View_

I think I heard Leo tell that story about Arabella about twenty times since I've met him. It gives me chills, it motivates me. I guess people would have to hear it to understand, and maybe it's only the way Leo tells it, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

Leo has told me a lot in this past month. He's told me about his mother, about tamales at Christmas time, about his favorite siblings at camp (it's literally all of them) and how he created a new gaming PC.

Leo and I are both gamers, sure, but I don't think it matters. Neither of us have access to play anything. We're on a quest to "save the world." That makes me laugh. The world can't be saved. It's already a mess. Women are afraid to walk alone on the street, children are constantly being kidnapped, people stand around spreading hate from Jesus!

I don't know much about Jesus that I can actually remember, but I do know that his thing was to preach love, so I'm not really sure why people going around telling people how to live their lives using Jesus as a justification.

So the fact that Leo wants to save people? That's all fine and dandy, but I don't think he can. But Hades, I'm going to help that kid because he's got about as much spirit as Percy when it comes to this gig, and I think that's admirable.

We met in the morning at a burger shop. Leo was telling me that he wanted to visit his sister in hope that she would be able to loan him a car. I snorted, but he was being serious, so I just put my head down on the table and sighed. "Leo, there's no way she's giving us a car."

"She got us the car!" Leo said, throwing his hands into the air. My jaw would have dropped if I had the capability to show emotions. Instead I bit my lip and crossed my arms.

Leo was too excited to play the _Really? Yes, Really_? Game. Instead he danced around the street in between the two establishments. "Now we can start looking for Ash again!"

I frowned before my eyes moved up to a figure touching Leo's shoulder. A girl had appeared, a Hispanic beauty, she kissed Leo's cheek and said something in Spanish before looking over to me. She extended a hand, and for a mechanic smelled a lot like Chocomint lip smackers. Why did I know that scent? Bianca.

I shook her hand gingerly and forced my eyes away. I hated strangers, and maybe I was jealous. Exactly how much information am I required to give as a narrator?

"Leo talks a lot about you. I'd think you were his boyfriend if he hadn't told me how long you've known each other. No couple could last that long."

I examined her features when she said that, at first raising my eyebrows at the association she'd made for me. Could she see right through me? How obvious was it that I was gay?

She tapped her head. Leo was somewhere off dancing again or chatting up with strangers. "Something all of us queers have, right?" And even though what she said caught me off guard, I realized who this was.

"Nyssa, where's the car? Is it this one? This one?" He hopped from random cars in the lot; one person trying to enter their car gave him a threatening look, but he just apologized and kept bouncing.

"He's your brother."

"Yes." She attempted to wave him over. "What did you think? It's that one over there."

I stared at Nyssa for a long time as she tried to converse with her brother. She was strange, cute in that 'if I were a Lesbian way', interesting and maybe intimidating. I decided that I liked her, and then I decided that if she brought Leo up again, I should probably deny everything. She was that person who would set us up on a random date.

We eventually said goodbye to her after I told her we couldn't do ice cream; we were in a rush. Leo looked disappointed but I figured it was for the best as we loaded ourselves into the car. It was a nice vehicle, a white Alpina, but I'm surprised that she was willing to loan us an Alpina. Then again maybe it was her car, and she was just being nice.

I realized I didn't really care. I leaned back in the seat, closed my eyes and relaxed, the smallest smug grin on my lips until Leo ran something over. Then my eyes flew open. "What the Hades, Leo?"

* * *

**A/N: The quality of my writing might have gotten worse? Oh my god sorry. Leave reviews because feedback really helps. Sorry about the wait time. Love you all.**


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